A delegation from the Syrian Coalition will fly to the Qatari capital Doha on Thursday to meet with Qatar’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani.

The delegation is headed by President of the Coalition, Riad Seif and includes head of the Syrian Interim Government (SIG) Jawad Abu Hatab, head of the opposition High Negotiations Committee’s (HNC) delegation to Geneva talks Nasr Hariri, and members of the Coalition’s political committee. The delegation will discuss the latest developments in Syria and efforts to restart the UN-sponsored negotiations in Geneva.

Nizar Hiraki, the Coalition’s Ambassador to Qatar, said that the visit is part of a series of visits and consultations between the Coalition and friendly and sisterly countries ahead of the upcoming UN General Assembly meeting in New York this month. It is expected that the situation in Syria will be high on the agenda of the meeting in which a senior Coalition delegation will participate.

Hiraki stressed that the Coalition is keen to communicate with Arab brothers to coordinate efforts ahead of the next round of Geneva negotiations. He pointed out that the visit will also discuss support for SIG and its work inside Syria as well as the Coalition’s efforts to aid Syrian refugees.

Qatar supports dozens of important aid projects in Syria in cooperation with United Nations as part of a humanitarian response to the difficult conditions the Syrian people are going through. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)

The Syrian Coalition renewed calls on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to put an end to the ongoing crimes and massacres being perpetrated by the Assad regime and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, the Coalition condemned the heinous crime which sectarian pro-regime militias committed in the town of Maaraf in western rural Hamaa on Tuesday. The militias raided a farmland near the town and executed 18 civilians who were working there. The Coalition stressed that all those who planned and executed the crime must be brought to justice.

“This crime represents a blatant example of Assad’s reign of terror, killing, repression and bullets as well as shows the Assad regime’s total disregard for the right to life. It is such a reign that the Iranian and Russian occupiers seek to keep. As the Syrian people rose up to salvage and liberate their country, they will continue with the revolution until all its goals are achieved,” the Coalition said.

The Coalition underscored that the international community is obliged more than ever to enforce UN Security Council resolutions, most importantly UNSC resolution 2254 to ensure the implementation of Articles 12 and 13 and lay the groundwork for a political transition in line with the Geneva Communique of 2012.

“Such action is need to pave the way for the rebuilding of Syria and achieving a transition to a democratic, civilian state that meets the aspirations of all its citizens for freedom, dignity, and equality.” (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)